Easter, which will be celebrated on Sunday, April 16 this year, offers many fun activities. But the one all kids look forward to the most is the egg hunt. However, in 2005 U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) special agent David Hyche realized that visually impaired children like his then 19-month-old daughter, Rachel, were unable to participate in this exciting event....

What better way to spend an afternoon than having an old-fashioned pillow fight with total strangers? That, believe it or not, is what thousands of fun-loving adults and children across the world did on Saturday, April 1, which in addition to being Fools’ Day, also happened to be International Pillow Fight Day....

Like most people, Gal Rozov hates folding laundry. But instead of complaining, the software developer decided to put his programming skills to work and create a laundry-folding robot! In 2012, after spending two years researching the most efficient design, Rozov moved from Israel to California and founded FoldiMate Inc. It took another four years, but by 2016, he had a working prototype of the namesake robot....

In Japan, the onset of spring is synonymous with the cherry blossom, or sakura, season. To attract some of the thousands of locals and tourists that flock to parks to see the beautiful, albeit brief, two-week bloom, many restaurants offer sakura inspired specialties....

While the fact that Julia is “Sesame Street’s” first new Muppet in a decade is certainly newsworthy, that is not the only thing that makes her special. The cheery, green-eyed 4-year-old who has autism is also here to expose young kids to children with autistic traits and teach them about acceptance....

In 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU), which promotes and safeguards the science of astronomy, passed a resolution that classified all celestial bodies, (except satellites) in our solar system into three distinct categories – planets, dwarf planets, and small Solar System Bodies. To qualify as a planet, the body had to orbit around the sun, have sufficient mass for its self-gravity to pull it into a round shape, and have cleared the neighborhood around its orbit. Since Pluto did not meet the third criterion, it was downgraded to a dwarf planet....

In case it has slipped your mind, this Saturday is April 1st, or, as is popularly called, Fools’ Day. The origin of this fun day, when pranking people is encouraged, is hazy. Some believe the tradition began in 1582 when the world transitioned from the Julian calendar, which started the year in April, to the currently used Gregorian calendar. Others think it was to celebrate the start of spring. Though individuals often prank each other, it is corporations that really get into the spirit with elaborate gags. Here are a few that were credible enough to fool people for days....

Like the rest of their species, the Southern Hemisphere humpbacks, or Megaptera novaeangliae, are not social animals. The baleen whales typically prefer to remain solo or amalgamate in small groups which disperse quickly. However, since 2011, researchers from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in Cape Town have been observing a new phenomenon off the coast of South Africa — large swarms of whales, comprising anywhere from 20 to 200 individuals. Professor Ken Findlay and his team reported seeing 22 instances of the large groups on three different occasions in 2011, 2014, and 2015....

On Sunday, March 20, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, was observed behaving like a kid in a candy store — and for a good reason too. The beaming billionaire was among the first to be given the opportunity to pilot a 14-foot-tall mechanical robot, dubbed Method-2, at the opening of the Amazon-hosted MARS 2017 conference. Dedicated to Machine learning, home Automation, Robotics, and Space Exploration (hence the acronym MARS), the three-day invite-only event was attended by 130 guests from the business, entertainment, and robotics sectors....

American historian Laurel Ulrich once said, “Well-behaved women rarely make history.” In celebration of Women’s History Month, here are a few of the millions of brave women that have broken all conventional rules to make a difference in the world....

Always wanted to help fight climate change? Then join the Earth Hour party on Saturday, March 25 by turning off all lights from 8:30 — 9:30 PM local time. This small action, taken by hundreds of millions of people around the world, will make a dent in our efforts to reverse global warming. More importantly, it will demonstrate what can be achieved if we all unite to protect our planet....

As most people age, the crystalline lenses in their eyes start to stiffen and are unable to change shape as easily. As a result, objects in close range start to look blurry, forcing many middle-aged adults to carry reading glasses either around their necks or tucked away in a handbag. Those already suffering from nearsightedness, or myopia, a condition where distant objects appear blurry, have to depend on bifocals or, even worse, switch between two pairs of glasses. However, thanks to some Utah researchers there may finally be a solution — self-adjusting “smart” glasses....

On March 10, Professor Robert Kelly was doing what the expert on South Korea does regularly — discussing a political situation on live television with a BBC News reporter via Skype. In this case, the topic was South Korean President Park Geun-hye's unprecedented March 9th impeachment for committing “acts that violated the Constitution and laws.”...

Residents of the US East Coast still recovering from last week’s record snowstorms will be happy to know that today is not just the first day of spring, but also the International Day of Happiness. First celebrated in 2013, this fun holiday was established by the United Nations (UN) to remind us that "the pursuit of happiness is a fundamental human goal."...

With its wide canopy of leaves, the majestic 50-feet tall manchineel tree that is native to the Caribbean, Florida, the northern coast of South America, Central America, and the Bahamas, looks particularly inviting, especially on a hot summer day. But you may be wise to heed the warning signs given that the deceptively innocuous tree holds the Guinness World Record for “the world’s most dangerous tree.”...

Every year on March 17, millions of people worldwide celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by participating in parades, wearing green, and searching for leprechauns in the hopes of finding gold. So who was this clergyman whose death anniversary is celebrated with such gusto, and how did the fun traditions associated with the holiday begin? Read on....

Even if math doesn’t rank high on your list of favorite subjects, chances are you still look forward to Pi Day. That’s because though the discussions may begin with Pi — the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter — they invariably end with a piece or two of yummy pie! The event is commemorated on March 14 because though the irrational number (its decimal representation never ends and never repeats) has been calculated to over ten trillion digits, it is widely recognized as 3.14....

Holi, the spring festival of colors that will be celebrated on Sunday, March 12, is one of India’s most anticipated events. Observed annually on the last full moon day of the Hindu calendar month of Phalguna, the two-day holiday entails taking to the streets early in the morning to douse strangers and friend alike, with colored powder and water. However, unlike the copycat color runs in the US, revelers do not have to race five or ten kilometers to participate!...

After a relatively calm 2016, Europe’s most active volcano — Mount Etna in Sicily, Italy — came to life on February 27. The eruption that occurred at about 6:00 pm local time from the relatively new Southeast Crater formed by a 1978 eruption lit up the dark Sicilian skies with fountains of bright orange lava. As is characteristic of all Mount Etna ejections, the lava stream was accompanied by Strombolian eruptions. The short-lived, explosive outbursts that are caused by trapped bubbles of gas escaping through the lava can reach heights of several hundred meters, making for a spectacular show....

On Sunday, March 12, most Americans will ‘lose’ an hour by moving their clocks forward sixty minutes. This small sacrifice that marks the start of Daylight Saving Time (DST) is designed to allow residents to enjoy longer days during the upcoming spring and summer months....

On February 21, after a week of feasting on her favorite treats that included a multi-tiered ice cake, giant panda Bao Bao started preparing for her one-way journey to China. The National Zoo resident began the morning with a hearty breakfast comprising 17 pounds (8 kg) of bamboo and 5.4 pounds (2.4 kg) of leafeater biscuits before heading out for some fresh air. Shortly after, she was put inside a custom-made, four-by-six, steel travel crate and transported to the Washington Dulles International Airport....

Winter means different things to different people. For some, it is the chance to cozy up to a warm fire, for others, a time to frolic in the snow. Then there are those that head to the Takhini Hot Springs in Yukon, Canada to participate in the wacky and hilarious International Hair Freezing Contest....

The about million species of insects known to humanity thus far have managed to neatly fit into one of 31 existing scientific orders. However, when George Poinar, Jr., the world’s leading expert on plant and animal life forms, found preserved in amber, saw the carcass of this 100-million-year-old insect, he knew it would require its own scientific order – an incredibly rare event....

While the world is still debating the safety of self-driving cars, the futuristic city-state of Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, is preparing to launch an autonomous aerial taxi. Starting in July, commuters will be able to summon the world’s first passenger drone, the EHang 184, to transport them to their desired destination without having to deal with Dubai’s congested freeways....